Multidots

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the lead Product and Engineering manager for our company. We are creative business consultants who create and implement digital, content, social and entertainment strategies for clients and our own multi-media experiences.

For what projects/services did your company hire Multidots, and what were your goals?

Our proprietary CMS and frontend used for multiple sites, required migration to Wordpress. With limited development resources in-house, we hired Multidots to execute these migrations. Our goals were to reduce platform costs and update aspects of each site, both front end and back end.

How did you select Multidots and what were the deciding factors?

We engaged multiple agencies for proposals. Multidots won the bid based on their pricing, their timeline, as well as the details delivered in their proposal.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We scaled our project by migrating one site at a time, learning from each process to increase productivity and optimize results. We began each migration process with a kickoff meeting and received a detailed project plan and service requirements document from Multidots.

Once the work started, Multidots carefully structured the old site data and worked with my team to ensure there would be no data loss in the migration process. They spent several hours working with members of our team who are the primary clients for the CMS to fully understand their operational tasks.

They created custom wordpress plugins to mimic complicated and very specific use cases for our team. Simultaneously, they used the framework of live design elements and new design templates to build the frontend. Multidots used a variety of technical capabilities to complete each build, common in web development such php, ajax, and javascript.

They also converted our site feeds from json formats to XML. They even assisted on non-wordpress DevOps issues within our 3rd party web-hosting platform. We had multiple demos and meetings throughout the build process to keep track of the work and approve one stage before moving on to the next.

Multidots also engaged in all QA services before including my team on extensive UAT. When the sites were ready, Multidots planned the launch dates around our company’s needs.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

As our project included multiple site builds, I worked with several of the team’s engineering and project management members. The primary point of contact was always the technical project manager, but there was also limited communication with full stack or front end developers when required.

The upper management staff, including the CTO and Business Development lead were also in constant contact to make sure the project was running as expected. By the time the entire project was complete, I had communicated with roughly 7-10 members of Multidots, which made me feel very comfortable with the thoroughness of each build.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The primary goals of the project were met. We significantly reduced cost of an aging platform and generated the framework of new sites, which are poised for a more stable future. The final products allow our staff to work more efficiently, and we can also reduce the amount of resources required to maintain the platform as a whole.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

I received daily, detailed updates from the project manager, or sometimes multiple times per day. Most written communication was done using third party project management software to keep all team members aware of actions being taken. However, we also used email and added Multidots to our company communication tools for matters that required more immediate attention.

We did the vast majority of our meetings over 3rd party video conferencing software. Given the complicated nature of our builds, it did take some time to find the right cadence and structure for our updates. However, Multidots always met our demands and provided transparent access to make communication work as smoothly as possible.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Ultimately, I was most impressed by the amount of work Multidots was able to complete in the timeframe required, especially at a very reasonable cost. I also appreciated their ability to adapt to changing circumstances on the ground level.

When you peel apart an older system for a migration such as this, it helps when everyone understands there’s going to be surprises and somewhat amorphous requirements. Multidots was certainly up to all of our challenges.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Because our project was ongoing for ten months, we ironed out all the wrinkles early on and ended up in a good place. At first, we did have some issues around communication on the QA side of things which caused some small delays.

Nothing ever threatened the completion or stability of the project but a more transparent look at the status of some of the build elements during development at the onset could have made for a better first build. But once aligned on communication and transparency, it was pretty smooth sailing.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Impress.org. We build software for nonprofits.

What challenge were you trying to address with Multidots?

I needed more developers, and Multidots helped me with that.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Multidots integrated with our internal team to work on multiple projects. They provided a frontend team, and they did HTML, CSS, and JavaScript programming. On the backend server-side, their team used PHP, MySQL, and WordPress, specifically as a content management system.

What is the team composition?

At the peak of our engagement, we had a total of six developers from Multidots working with us. We also talked with their sales team when getting the project started.

How did you come to work with Multidots?

I met them at a conference and gave them a test project or two before ramping up our engagement.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent at least $150,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together roughly from January 2017 until January 2019.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They produced a number of great products for us. Their team completed at least five significant projects that required thousands and thousands of lines of code. Overall, the quality of their work was great. Whenever we noticed an issue, we reached out to their team that was more than happy to correct it.

How did Multidots perform from a project management standpoint?

They integrated into our Slack channels, which was how we communicated in addition to weekly development calls. We largely managed the project ourselves. However, they had internal project managers who accommodated our system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Multidots was affordable and communicated well. They were also very knowledgeable about WordPress.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their attention to detail.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have clear deliverables in mind to discuss with them. Set the path for them and then let Multidots follow it.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Owner of a corporate education company

For what projects/services did your company hire Multidots, and what were your goals?

Multidots were hired to build a website.

How did you select Multidots and what were the deciding factors?

Multidots were first consulted about the brief, then delivered a project scope document including milestones, project stakeholders, and detailed costing.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss the work requirements. Multidots then came back with their plan for implementation and timelines. We agreed on this.

Once the project commenced we had regular meetings and Multidots kept me fully up to date with progress through a shared project management software. Regular meetings were also held via this portal.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There were approximately 10 different people who worked with me on this project, with one key project manager who oversighted the project and kept all stakeholders on track.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The project was delivered on time, to expectations, and to the agreed costing. I was very happy with the outcome.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

We had weekly catchups via skype, and there was a project management software that was used to track all activities and delivery to milestones.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The communication was fantastic- timely, clear, and detailed. They worked hard to understand my requirements, to check-in, to provide examples, and to ensure I understood the stage the project was at at all times.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and developer for a small software company that focuses on WordPress products.

What challenge were you trying to address with Multidots?

We needed an additional resource to help us develop a new product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Multidots provided us with a developer with the skillsets we’re looking for and we then we assigned that developer with various tasks. They’ve done all software development and used JavaScript and PHP. There were multiple deliverables depending on what the project they were working on as well. They submitted code requests, which we reviewed and provided feedback on.

They also provided us with the infrastructure and project management to make sure that developer was on-task.

What is the team composition?

We have a single developer working on our project, but we have a few points of contact on their side as well.

How did you come to work with Multidots?

I met their CEO at a small business retreat a couple of years back. When we started looking for more resources, I remembered that he had this company and decided to reach out. We had several conversations and had a good rapport with them. We talked to a few other companies as well, but selected Multidots.

How much have you invested with them?

The one resource was $4,000 per month (approximately $40,000 in total).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in December in 2019 and we wrapped up in September 2020.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

I’m super happy with everything. The resource we worked with always completed the work that we requested, took feedback very well, and asked smart questions so they could improve after each feedback session.

The support they provided really helped us out because we didn’t have to manage them that much. We reached the end of our development cycle, so we decided that it was a good time to pause our work with Multidots. That’s actually a huge benefit—we’re able to scale up and down based on our needs. We wouldn’t be able to do that if we hired internally.

How did Multidots perform from a project management standpoint?

They provided updates every week and communicated effectively. They stayed on task, and whenever they finished an assignment, they came back to us to ask what to do next. They often took initiative and looked into different issues and made suggestions to help. It was really easy to work with them.

They have project management tools available, but we wanted to use our own internal system, so they just used Slack and GitHub.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their organizational structure impressed me. They were really organized and I never felt like I needed to follow them around. I always knew what was going on because of how their organization is structured.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients need to be engaged. When you’re outsourcing, you need to keep them engaged with tasks that they need to do. As long as you keep the lines of communication open, you’ll have a positive engagement.  

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for a company that hosts a number of shows that serve the media and entertainment community.

What challenge were you trying to address with Multidots?

We had challenges with efficiencies and updates on our website, which was built on Drupal. We wanted to migrate our platform to be more efficient and modern. During an event, we can get as many as 36,000 unique visitors daily and 200,000-page views. Efficiency was important to us. We wasted time with redundancies in our workflows.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Multidots helped us to migrate our site from Drupal to WordPress. We gave them the frontend design and Multidots built out the backend. They created workflows and built APIs into our website to automate the information that was presented from a directory, which another partner built. Their team tested the site and made sure it was mobile-friendly. Now, they maintain the website.

What is the team composition?

We had a main point of contact who was the lead on the overall project. At any given time, anywhere between 4–6 people collaborated on this project. It depended on the timeline and the volume of work. Additional teammates came on to help with the testing.

How did you come to work with Multidots?

We reached out to them after a partner recommended them. We checked out a couple of other companies but Multidots was price competitive. They showed that they would provide a high level of customer service and dedication to the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $80,000–$100,000 in the project. Multidots sends us a small fee every month for maintenance.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in June 2019, and it was completed in January 2020. They continue to do maintenance on the website.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Multidots helped us during a critical time. Their team built a reliable workflow. Our workflows are much more efficient, saving our team a lot of time. The platform also better serves our community by giving updates and information quicker. We’re really happy with the site.

Our website is extremely mobile-friendly now. We’re proud of the mobile-friendliness because mobile devices are an important part of how people get information.

How did Multidots perform from a project management standpoint?

During the development, we met regularly and had weekly face-to-face calls. Our account director was excellent. He kept the project organized and communicated regularly. Their team was responsive and worked during off-hours.

They excelled in the timeframe, which was the biggest challenge. Their team was patient as we worked through challenges. They were extremely accommodating, so it was easy to work with Multidots.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This wasn’t an easy project and Multidots was a partner throughout it. We faced challenges and pivoted throughout the project, but they stuck with us. Their team solved problems creatively.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything at this moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To have any successful project, scope it out ahead of time. Don’t leave much up in the air to decide later in the project. Ask questions to better scope out how to build the website. We asked them what was possible and came up with new approaches to the development. Don’t assume that you have to solve all of the problems.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a digital media company. We’re one of the largest independently owned business-news site. In addition to our 3 million readers, we’re syndicated to many of the largest sites in the country.  

What challenge were you trying to address with Multidots?

We’re launching a  new website, and were looking for external help auditing our efforts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided an assessment of the code that we wrote to ensure that it was done properly and identified areas of improvement. Those areas of improvement were then either modified to their recommendations by our internal team or by them. They used WordPress VIP.

What is the team composition?

We had between 2­–4 people on our team and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Multidots?

They were on the list of WordPress VIP authorized developers.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–March 2020.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The project went on without a hitch. Before working with them, we had trouble launching the site—we had two failed attempts. Because of their detailed audit, we were able to make changes and they set up the site very quickly. Here we are with a brand-new site that’s publicly available and working well.

How did Multidots perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed excellently. To communicate, we emailed, used various developer tools to keep track of projects, and regular phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They accomplished what we hoped they would in an incredibly tight timeframe. They only over-delivered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there are none.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing communications for a social media news and intelligence agency. We built the world's first social media newswire. We work with newsrooms around the world and we also work with corporate partners, helping them understand what is happening on social media.

What challenge were you trying to address with Multidots?

We were working to elevate our website on the back- and frontend. We intended to drive better performance, like page loading, as well as improving our ability to capture prospects. On the backend, we needed a more flexible CMS capable of easy updates. And we needed way to test and learn information.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used WordPress VIP. Because they’re a part of the VIP program, they have a lot of elevated tools. So, they created blocks and modules specifically for us. They were mostly working on development, but they updated some designs as well.

Multidots was incredibly fast and efficient when it came to presenting ideas to us. This included a new layout for our homepage, our content pages, and new buttons across the site to drive people into the CRM.

What is the team composition?

We had a fantastic account manager, Jeremy, he was our main point of contact. Then we worked with a few project leads. They were great–very supportive and thorough as we learned a new system.

How did you come to work with Multidots?

We were looking for an accredited partner to help us move into a WordPress VIP environment.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first contacted them in August and it wrapped up by November 2019.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Loading time has improved significantly—by a few seconds on desktop and mobile. We’re now down to below a full second load on any page. Conversion from web hit into lead has also improved by about 15%. So, I’m happy with the results.

The project evolved and grew as we went along and Multidots handled things in a timely fashion. They were quick to troubleshoot, find bugs, and solve them. Often, they would stay overnight to make sure problems were resolved by the morning. Once the project was completed, they stuck around to support updates and resolve issues.

How did Multidots perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked in Basecamp together. Their project management was stellar. They’re very timely in all their delivery and they really excelled in getting the project on track as we went along.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their account service was phenomenal. Technically, they’re very capable and made changes as we needed them, but their account service paid attention to our emails and our requests whether it was big or small. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had working with a vendor.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s a global company, so time is always a challenge. It would be helpful if there were people in my time zone to work with. That being said, work never slowed, production never slowed, and they delivered everything on time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should strongly consider Multidots. They’re a great partner. They provide solutions and they work very quickly.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the principal at Blue Fusion Creative and Marketing Group. We do creative services, marketing services, consulting, graphic design, websites, app development, and video multimedia production. On the marketing side, we work on marketing consulting and marketing communications.

What challenge were you trying to address with Multidots?

We've worked with Multidots on several projects. From web development, we've had clients that needed new websites built from the ground up or to update their existing site. The challenges have varied according to the client needs.

As a specific example, we had a client that wanted to develop their website for an early achievement program. It was a site that served multiple functions with specific users, including special education teachers, coaches who worked with the teachers, administrators that worked in public schools, and parents. We needed to develop a website capable of addressing those different audiences in a way that would set up vertical pathways for each of the audiences going in so that the information was customized for them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

For this project, they developed a website that used parallax scrolling as a way of presenting the information. We set up the website with four distinct pathways that were all password protected. For instance, if an administrator wanted to view their side of the site, they'd have a password registered, and would have a unique set of information available to them.

What is the team composition?

It varies, but generally, there's a team of 4-7 members assigned to each project. From time to time, I'll interact with one of the co-CEO's as well.

How did you come to work with Multidots?

They were originally referred to me for an app development project. After looking at their website, doing some due diligence, and an initial consultation, we initiated the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested approximately $250,000 – $300,000 thus far.        

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in February 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

All of our clients have been extremely satisfied with the work. Recently, I was speaking with one, and they reported that their site traffic increased by 400% after their revamp and relaunch. We've won multiple awards for our work with them, too. Their projects are always delivered effectively, on time, and within budget.

How did Multidots perform from a project management standpoint?

We've developed a very strong working relationship with them over the years and their project management is always excellent. Their capabilities have always been clear, and they have great communication skills. There are a few project managers there I've worked with consistently, so whenever we start something new, we always launch immediately. I know who the team I'll be working with is.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really know the WordPress platform, and their ability to find solutions when we are hit with challenges is phenomenal. They've developed unique solutions that are now part of the WordPress community as well, and having that knowledge as a resource available to us has been invaluable.

I've been in marketing for over 25 years, so I know what to look for and they really stand out against other vendors. They have the capabilities, the team, and the responsiveness to meet the challenges that they're presented with.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

They always have the constant challenge of staying on the cutting edge, which they succeed in, but with that in mind, there's always something that can be improved. There are always small errors in any project, with any vendor, but there's no glaring issue they could improve on.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our organization provides training services and leadership organizational solutions. I’m an IT manager here.

What challenge were you trying to address with Multidots?

We had a project connected to our mobile apps that utilized WordPress and the Ionic framework. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Multidots has worked with us on two mobile applications using WordPress and Ionic. They implemented the requirements we set out. They worked on the details together with us and entered the content into the apps. Multidots took care of the technical documentation, testing, and some UI and graphic design as well.

The app has reporting, signing, and recording functionalities that work according to the flows we provided.

How did you come to work with Multidots?

We were looking for a company that could work with both WordPress and the Ionic framework. Multidots presented themselves as a professional and well-organized company with a good solution from the very beginning. They were communicative and showed a willingness to collaborate. (Later on, they also delivered what they promised.) We negotiated a price that worked for us, so we started the collaboration.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in November 2017 and is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve kept track of their turnaround time, the number of bugs reported, and response time.

How did Multidots perform from a project management standpoint?

When it comes to our collaboration, they have good communication. We get regular follow-up from their side, including updates on the project status and meeting minutes capturing the most important items. They handle testing, but we’ve given feedback as well. 

They use their internal project management system, which helps a lot in our communication. We have access to the system and use it for communication, updates, and a file repository.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s the communication and the diversity of their skills that stand out. If we ask for items beyond our original scope—integration with Power BI, for example— Multidots can find skills within their team and provide us those services.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s always important to remain aligned with the client and the client’s needs as a project proceeds. But Multidots is strong at that already.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a global technology company, focused on the body and its application and implications in the apparel industry. We help brands make clothes fit better, have efficient and sustainable processes, and train their people better. We are the science behind the art of fit.

As the Creative Manager I oversee all creative and marketing projects and also manage the website.

For what projects/services did your company hire Multidots?

We hire Multidots for various web development projects from something simple as creating HTML email templates to larger projects such as customizing the front-end and CMS of our company website.

What were your goals for this project?

We were involved in various projects along the way but our overall objective is to provide a better web experience and communicate better with our potential customers.

How did you select this vendor?

Multidots was recommended by a different agency. We started out working together on very small projects and as out trust for Multidots grew we started taking on bigger projects

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Multidots assists with almost every aspect of web projects. We share our ideas on visual layouts and functionalities for each project, discuss realistic solutions and Multidots plans and executes the development side of the project.

What was the team composition?

The team composition and size seems to be fluid depending on the nature of each project. Point of contact when requesting a project has always been the same.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Each project has improved the experience the visitors on our website, and knowing we can always consult and work with Multidots we are able to make updates or launch new web projects without a hassle.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They are very good at communicating the overall timeline for the project, and the progress. Also very responsive with any kind of queries.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Responsiveness. Multidots reacts very quickly to clients requests. How they manage very urgent projects in a timely manner is most impressive about Multidots.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. Not at the moment.